Study Reveals the Airports with the Smoothest Travel During Peak Holiday Travel

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Article courtesy of Travel by Luxe

• Phoenix Sky Harbor International ranks as the most stress-free airport in the U.S. for the 2025 holiday season, thanks to its nation-leading security wait times and low cancellation rates.
• Salt Lake City International comes in second, boasting the lowest delay and cancellation rates in the entire study.
• Dulles International secures third place with strong reliability and below-average wait times, even though its flight fares are among the highest.
• Tampa International and Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International offer travelers fast-moving security lines and comparatively low fares, helping them land in the top five.
• Chicago Midway ranks sixth overall, supported by short security waits and the lowest passenger traffic levels among top-ranking airports.
• The study shows that higher passenger volume doesn’t necessarily translate to more stress; efficient airport operations matter far more.
• Security wait times and delay rates, not fares, proved to be the biggest drivers of airport stress during the busy holiday season.
• The U.S. Department of Transportation expects record-breaking holiday travel in 2025, making airport reliability more important than ever.

Holiday travel is supposed to be joyful,

Phoenix tops the national list with a remarkably balanced performance across nearly every metric. Its security wait time of just 2 minutes, the fastest among all 30 airports, is a dream scenario for holiday travelers who dread snaking lines. Phoenix also posts one of the nation’s lowest cancellation rates (0.31%, ranking 3rd) and maintains a relatively modest delay percentage (18.98%, ranking 4th). Despite handling 2.27 million passengers in December 2024 (ranked 20th), the airport’s efficient operations keep movement smooth. With average fares sitting in the middle of the pack at $379.86 (ranked 11th), travelers benefit from both affordability and speed.

Salt Lake City earns second place thanks to chart-topping reliability. It has the lowest delay rate in the entire study (17.15%, rank 1) and the lowest cancellation rate (0.25%, rank 1), a powerful combination during winter. The airport handles 1.09 million passengers in December (rank 8), yet still maintains stable operations even with average security waits at 14 minutes (rank 13). While its fares are on the higher end at $453.66 (rank 27), the confidence travelers gain from predictable flight schedules makes the airport an appealing choice.

Dulles ranks third thanks to its strong performance across delays and cancellations: 19.4% delayed flights (rank 5) and 0.31% cancelled (rank 3). It moves 1.17 million passengers in December (rank 9), yet manages to keep security wait times to 6 minutes (rank 4), well below the national average. Fares at $509.23 (rank 30) are among the most expensive in the study, but travelers benefit from reliable operations and quicker screening than many comparably sized East Coast hubs.

Tampa delivers a surprisingly low-stress experience for a high-traffic airport. With 1.05 million December passengers (rank 4), it still posts the second-fastest security wait time at just 4 minutes (rank 2). Tampa’s delays come in at 23.08% (rank 16), and cancellation rates remain reasonable at 0.35% (rank 7). Its affordability stands out: average fares of $342.14 (rank 5).

Las Vegas handles one of the highest passenger loads in the top 10 at 2.29 million December travelers (rank 21), yet still performs well. Delays sit at 19.7% (rank 6), and fares are refreshingly low at $291.34 (rank 3). Security waits average 11 minutes (rank 8).

Midway stands out as the least crowded among top-ranking airports, handling 780,019 passengers in December (rank 1, the lowest traffic in the entire dataset. This alone contributes greatly to its stress-free appeal. Despite a higher delay percentage of 24.46% (rank 22) and cancellation rate of 0.49% (rank 17), passengers benefit from fast screening (5 minutes, rank 3) and affordable fares at $322.95 (rank 4).

Despite winter challenges, MSP maintains a competitive delay rate of 19.87% (rank 7) and a manageable cancellation rate of 0.57% (rank 22). It serves 1.47 million December passengers (rank 13) and keeps security waits at 11 minutes (rank 8). Average fares land at $414.75 (rank 18).

Philadelphia records 22.45% delays (rank 15) and a 0.46% cancellation rate (rank 14) while moving 1.21 million December passengers (rank 10). Its 8-minute security wait time (rank 5) helps keep overall stress lower than many Northeast airports. With fares at $406.91 (rank 16), PHL remains reasonably priced.

Austin’s growing popularity hasn’t stopped it from maintaining holiday efficiency. It handles 907,069 December passengers (rank 2) while posting 21.9% delays (rank 12) and 0.42% cancellations (rank 11). Security waits sit at 12 minutes (rank 11), and fares average $427.29 (rank 23).

LaGuardia’s major overhaul is paying off. The airport processes 1.45 million December passengers (rank 12) and records 21.91% delayed flights (rank 13) and 0.35% cancellations (rank 7). Security waits average 17 minutes (rank 21), longer than most top-10 peers, but its $362.44 fares (rank 7) help keep travel costs reasonable.

The full list of the most stress-free airports for holiday travel:

Methodology

• Delayed flights percentage (25%)
• Cancelled flights percentage (25%)
• Average fares (10%)
• Security wait times (20%)

Sources: